fragments of memory
by Kittyduckling
Summary: Once upon a time, a large tree on the top of Mt Silver provided all the energy and life to the world. The tree, put to sleep by the Goddess, is protected by a series of seals. The seals are beginning to weaken, the fight for the Holy Tree has begun.
1. The Eye of the Storm

There was an explosion

Or rather…

The world tried to end itself.

A serious of explosions, caused by an assortment of poorly aimed Hyper Beams, was causing the cliff sides overlooking the bay below to crumble and shatter. In the midst of this, a very unfortunate series of events had caused a person to go from standing on the top of the cliff, watching the action below, to hanging onto dear life. Partially gloved bleeding fingers tightly clutching the edge of the cliff, blood trickling down the pale limb, dripping towards the ground so far down below. Grunting, as anyone would when faced with a nasty fall to a sea of churning water filled with the chaos of battle. Clenching her teeth together, she painstakingly pulled herself up onto the ridge. Catching her breath, she pushed back the stray dark green strands of hair from her eyes, firmly tucking them behind her ear. A few moments later, when the pressure in her chest had finally subsided to a tolerable level, she lifted herself up on still shaking legs and began to brush off the blood and dirt from her black tank top and now badly torn acid wash jeans. Cracking her neck, she checked herself over for any serious injuries, slipping her hands out of her gloves.

Her palms were bleeding, her arms and knees, where they peaked out from the tears in her jeans, were covered in bruises and a fine layer of filth but nothing was broken. Sighing, she slipped her raw hands back into the gloves, hissing lightly through clenched teeth at the pull it had on her skin, ripping it further as the leather settled into place. Bending over, she tied the laces tighter on her metal-toed boots and straightening up, wandered to the edge, the wind catching her hair and blowing it into her eyes.

It wasn't a pleasant site. A good forty feet below, on the water's edge and on the nearly vanquished coastline, it was almost too hard for anyone, let alone her, to look at. Dozens of silver-clad humans were enveloped in a fight with an assorted number and color of trainers, pitting their Pokémon against one another with no regard to the storm billowing up around them. It was coming from the tip of the other mountain on the island, the source of that storm, and it wasn't dying down anytime soon. Battle cries and the deafening thuds of blows connecting with flesh, fur, skin, metal… it brought the girl to her knees, tears slipping from her amber eyes and falling onto the ground her hands trembling as she brought them to her eyes, mashing the leather into her face.

She didn't even notice his hand on her shoulder.

Turning sharply, surprise and hostility coming through her expression regardless of the tears still streaming down her cheeks, she relaxed when she noticed the two men both nearly twice her slim 154cm height, one in a black shirt-less suit adorned with a silver ankh like buckle with a blue bandana covering his brown hair and the other, a redhead, in a maroon and grey long sleeved tunic, reaching to just below his knees and a small red mountain emblem just above his heart. Her guard visibly dropping, she staggered back up to her feet, licking her parched lips once before speaking, her voice quiet, almost timid, a sharp contrast to her normal demeanor, "It's as bad as it looks like, isn't it."

The red haired man nodded, crossing his arms across his chest, "Yes, I'm afraid so… Cyrus has gone mad with the power of that stone. He's determined to gain control of the ancient Pokémon slumbering here."

The other man chuckled weakly, pointing over at the mountain, "At this rate, tha seal won't hold, you know? Den we're going to have some preeeetty major flooding on our hands, da?"

"When… when?" she lifted her hands to stare at them, her eyes blurring over as she focused on her cracked and bloodied fingertips, "I should've done something, I should've acted sooner…"

Maxie let out a sharp harrumph, letting an arm fall to his side as one hand cupped his , "Mika this isn't your fault. You couldn't risk exposing yourself; Giovanni couldn't allow Cyrus to know that the Black Emerald was in Sinnoh, there wasn't anything you could've done or can do… If you reveal yourself now, well…"

Her shoulders sagged, her head lowering in defeat and as her knees gave out and she slipped to the edge of the cliff, her hands wrapped around the rocky edge, half her body leaning out over the waters as her eyes scanned the area below, "I know… I know but…" her eyes lifted, staring intently into the waters below at a young boy with light brown hair who was in the midst of the fray, a pikachu firmly attached to his head, watching as he struggled to stay upright, "But…He's-" She leaned further and further out to keep her eyes on him, not realizing how close she was coming to slipping off the edge.

Maxie pulled the girl up by the arm, jerking her harshly back, ignoring the painful yelp that exploded from her mouth as he all but threw the weightless girl back against the ground, grunting as she lay there, the wind completely knocked out of her, for moment before she struggled to sit up, groaning heavily, "Maxie? What on earth was that for?!"

"Fine. Next time you want to dive off a cliff I'll let you." He walked over, offering the girl his hand, pulling her up when her hand fit softly into his, "Come with me to the camp alright? You need to get some attention drawn to your hands…" The older man sighed, gently brushing a lock of hair that had fallen messily in the girl's eyes, "Overall you're a mess Mysterica."

Sighing, she shook the man off, rubbing her forehead softly, "Fine. I get what you're saying…" Relaxing slightly, she adjusted the black satchel on her shoulder, "Let's go then?" Her entire body felt like lead. Maxie had a point. She was in no condition to do any saving and it looked like him, that boy, he'd be okay for the meanwhile. There was defiantly trouble happening down there… but it wasn't the end of the world. Not yet anyways.

"Good, let's go ahead and head-"

"Uh, Maxie, you gunna need to wait ya?"

The man turned on his heels, wondering why, on earth, the man who was oh so strangely in love with the ocean was demanding that they wait. The moment he reopened his eyes, after swallowing his frustration, he understood. Draped over the muscular arm of the sea-fearing captain was the very much so unconscious body of the head executive of Team Rocket, her face flushed with a fever. Sighing, he simply lowered his head into his hands and groaned, "Will that child ever learn? Honestly, will that child EVER learn?"

"Uh… What do we do wit her then Maxie? Carry her to camp, da?"

"Yes… Yes we can't just leave her here." Sighing, he crossed his arms across his chest and walked towards the crudely beaten path towards the campsite, the smoke billowing up in the distance, as Archie gently lifted the girl into his arms, cradling her like an infant almost as he followed along behind, genuine worry crossing over his face.

"Maxie?"

"…what?"

"…It's funny, da?"

"…what, _praytell_, is funny?"

"Before this girl, my little Mi-Mi-chan before we met her, we were fighting, da? Little Mi-Mi-chan… da… it's… hard to believe just how much this girl has done, da? She's a little gal…"

"…." He let out a heavy sigh, turning towards the man, "It's hard to believe, isn't it. That a girl so young has changed so much and yet… and yet inside that girl is a trapped little child who was locked away, never allowed to be one… Such things… such things appal me." Sighing, he graced his hand along his chin, pondering for a moment such thoughts before he shook his head, "Enough chatter. We're almost to the campsite."

As they arrived, the mixed banners of Aqua and Magma filled the cramped campground, positioned outside various tents but unlike previous encounters, there was no obvious division between the two groups. Fetching a pair of grunts, one blue, one red, Archie handed the girl over to the male of the group before barking out orders, "Take her to the leader's tent, send Amber or Tabitha to go and find a doctor for her and tell them, under my authority, that if they, both the executives and doctor I'm sending them to fetch, don't do it immediately, I'll fry them like a Magikarp"

Sighing, he stomped after the red haired man, heading towards the largest of tents, the mobile headquarters of the Hoenn Magmqua Alliance, his worry turning into frustration and quickly into rage. Whoever was responsible for this madness was going to get slapped like a golden and stir fried like a krabby. Or worse. They could be… they could be a detestable ground type pokemon in which case he'd simply plunk them into the ocean. Flopping into his chair, he growled, waiting for everyone to show and for news of his little mermaid, his precious little Mi-mi-chan.

_Mama, Mama tell me the story again! _

_Mysterica, love, it's so late, little girls should be resting in bed now, your father already tucked you in snug…_

_But Mama, I wanted to hear it, hear you say goodnight to me, from you!_

…_Well alright… but only if you promise to go right to sleep after this!_

_I will Mama I will! Now please, please tell me a story!_

_Which one my darling?_

_The one about the trees Mama! With the guardians and the magical forests.. That's my very favorite. That's my very very very favorite! _

_Haha… my precious little one, here, snuggle into your futon, snuggle and listen to Mama, she'll tell you a story, she'll tell you the story of the great mystical tree._

_Once upon a time, in the very distant past before the islands were separated..._

_There was a great and beautiful tree on top of Mt Silver._

_The tree was so big, nobody had ever climbed to the top of the tree_

_it was said that this tree gave life to the entire world of Pokémon_

_Humans and Pokémon alive lived in Harmony with the tree and with each other_

_But over time, humans became resentful of the tree_

_They rose up, forming a giant army, and marched towards Mt Silver_

_They were going to take and use the tree's power for their own desires_

_Fearing for the safety of the tree, the Eight Guardians gathered at Mt. Silver_

_They hid the tree away and separated the lands into islands_

_On each island, they placed a series of seals, protecting the sacred realm of the tree_

_On each island also resides a mythical forest_

_The children of the forest are granted special gifts_

_They are taught to take care of their homeland and are granted powers like those of the guardians_

_They guard the Sacred Secret of the forest and its inhabitants_

_In exchange, the children are able to communicate with Pokémon as humanity past_

_Together they live in harmony, just like before_

_Silently watching and waiting for the day._

_When the Tree will return reuniting the islands at last_

_And just like before, humans and Pokémon will exist together, in harmony._

_And the world will be united into one, with no wars or anything bad_

_And every, humans and Pokemon alike, will live happily ever after._

_The end._

_Are you happy my pet? Did you enjoy that story?_

…_Mama?_

_Yes pet?_

_Do you think it'll happen maybe? Will they break the seals someday?_

_I don't know…but I know that here in Blackthorn, here you will be safe always_

_Are you sure Mama?_

_I'm sure love…_

_Do you think we'll ever find the tree?_

…_I hope so. I hope we get to see the tree…_

_Mama?_

_Yes?_

_Will the tree be pretty?_

_The prettiest tree you've ever seen_

_Mama…?_

_Yes Mysterica?_

_Do you love me?_

_Of course I do._

_How much do you love me Mama?_

_As far as the eye can see_

_What about beyond that, do you still love me?_

_Mysterica, there is not a thing that can tear me from you._

_Mama?_

_Yes my beloved?_

…_I love you that much too._

_I love you too my pet_

She woke up in a cold sweat, sitting straight upright in bed, the covers that had been thrown over her now muddled on the floor. Groaning, the pressure from sitting up too soon swelled up suddenly behind her eyes and she laid back with a thud, attempting not to vomit. Staring at her hands, she realized she hadn't been attended to yet, they must've just arrived at camp, and after a moment more of sitting, struggled to stand, groggily stuffing her feet back into her boots.

"And just what the hell do you think you're doing, eh? My patients shouldn't move."

Twitching at the sound of the voice, she lifted her head, glaring up at the sound. Oh dear god no. Please, please, _please_ no… Looking up, her eyes caught sight of her deepest dread, a man almost twice her height that was walking past the tent flap towards her. Dressed in a pair of black dress slacks and a white dress shirt w/ a blue tie, the black haired man whose hair itself reached down to his chin, a flap of hair in his bright golden eyes. Sighing, he shook his head, the tan and black doctor's bag in his hand slipping to a light swing, "Mysterica what have you done to yourself this time?"

She scoffed, standing up weakly, "I'm fine. Go away Kain."

"Well you're obviously not fine. Bleeding all over the floor," he motioned to the floor where, indeed, there was quite a bit of blood spattered on the earthen ground next to the cot Mika had just pulled herself off of, "is not what constitutes fine or any version of fine or any possible **conception** of fine. If you were fine, m'dear, I wouldn't have had three admins running into my office screaming at me to come over here before Archie practiced his fish gutting skills on one of them in the most painful of fashions. Now, if you were fine, would they have been that pale looking when they barged in? Does Archie simply tear people apart for the fun of it? You yourself know the answer to this m'dear so sit down and shut up." His eyes narrowed, "Or perhaps you need me to fetch Archie and have him translate to me as to why you're refusing treatment…? I'd be happy to do so, just a moment, I'll go now and-"

"Eghn… Enough Kain." She closed her eyes, masking the pain as best she could and sat down on the bed, unable to withhold a deep groan.

Sighing, he dropped his bag at the side of her cot and gently lifted her legs up onto the bed, slipping off her boots as gently as he could, giving her a visual once over before he sighed, a bit heavier this time, leaning up to feel her forehead with the back of his hand, withdrawing when he felt the heat of her fever. Lowering his hand to his side, he took his bag and set it on his lap, looking the girl, whose eyes were still very tightly closed shut and while it was obvious she was trying to hide it, there was pain evident in just how tightly her body was rigged up. Pulling out his stethoscope and fitting it into his ears, he softly moved the blankets to her stomach, his hand placed on her chest, listening to her uneven breathing, "Mika? How bad is it, really? No bullshitting to look bad. How bad is it? Your lungs sound wretched, the worst than I've seen them in a long time."

Biting down on her lip, she opened her eyes, blushing form both the fever and her mortification of being seen like this, "…I've been…ill… for about a month now."

Sighing, he grasped onto the girl's arm and as gently as he could, turned her on her side and pressed the cool metal onto her back, becoming even more annoyed with what he heard, "Mika, you're not-"

"I…ran out."

"You didn't think to call me and get more?"

"I was feeling alright, I didn't think I-"

"Mysterica Lunesca Blackthorn, you know the last time you did this I had to infuse you directly for over three hours-"

"I-"

"…I'm not angry…" he sighed, rolling the girl onto her back, gently probing around her abdomen, shaking his head when the girl let out a muffled yelp into her bitten lip, "Lip out of mouth." Pressing once more, he wasn't surprised when the girl let out a non-muffled yelp that caused those outside to peer in curiously, worry written on their faces. Kain turned, shooing them away with the back of his hand, "You've got some swelling here, I'm putting you on a strain of medications and moving you to the infirmary."

"N-no, I've got to get to the meeting…"

"Is it absolutely necessary? You've broken three ribs, it's got to hurt to move... I'm not sure I approve of this…"

She scoffed, her arm flailing at him lightly, "Just wrap me. I'll go to the meeting then I'll come rest like you want."

"I'm going to inform Archie of this…"

"Go right ahead."

Sighing, he helped the girl sit up and gently wrapped a roll of bandages around her middle before he firmly but gently laid her back down and took a hand, slipping it out of her glove to clean up the wound, "What happened, on the cliff?"

"…"

"You tore four layers of skin off your hands. I'm putting on a bandage but I'll need to do minor surgery on it later to avoid nerve damage."

"…I fell."

"Mmm?"

"I used Tina."

"….child…"

"I have to go to the meeting. We'll talk later?"

"…I don't like this."

"Promise."

"…Alright." Tying off the bandage, he gingerly helped the girl sit up, "You're free to go. But the minute the meeting's over…"

"I understand. Trust me, I get it."

"Then you can go."

Wincing, she shoved her feet into her boots and slowly started to walk towards the Alliance Tent, her pace picking up to her normal pace, her brain shutting off all pain indicators of just how bad she was hurting. Slinging her arms into her jacket, which was indeed a mistake seeing as just how badly her body was screaming right now to have her never move again, she pushed open the flap of the Alliance Tent and took a seat as per directed by Maxie, "So. What do you need from me?"

"What started all this?" Maxie crossed his legs, leaning back in his chair, "How did you go from the G-Men Institution a year ago to..well..now?"

She sighed, closing her eyes, half to remember, half to placate the throbbings in her head, "It all started about a year ago... I had just gotten out of the G-Men facility, I was leaving in the morning on a journey to Sinnoh, to see if Team Galaxy was truly stupid enough to be breaking the Indigo Treaty. I woke up in the morning, and before I left… I went to say goodbye to an old treasured friend…"


	2. Candy is Dandy but Violence is Quicker

Chapter 2

_Thirteen Months Prior to the Explosion_

"…It's been a year now Maxie. It's still hard for me to think about, you know? I don't like to think about it and yet… Ha… To think. The place where you, me, Luna, and Gulwee, where we all lived for almost two years just disappeared and nobody but me now is around to remember any of it. Do you remember Maxie? When we first met? You said you saw potential in me, you put an arm around me, you showed me around, you made me feel, well, it was like I mattered. And then… then I found the seal. And I began to weaken the barrier around it. And Luna summoned the G-Men for an official inquiry into the matter… and then, when, well, you know…and I know… what happened next… And yet, now I'm-"

"Excuse me? Lady Emerald?"

Mika turned, slightly annoyed that her talkings to a tombstone were being interrupted but her face softened when she saw the sheer terror in the poor child's eyes. It was obvious she was no more than a grunt, a low-leveled grunt at that, and she was shaking so badly it was visible, even though Mika was a good deal away from the girl. Chuckling, she shook her head, turning and walking back towards the girl, smiling down at her, "Yes'um?"

Her blue eyes shone as she looked up at the leader, comparing her own simplistic black skirt and long sleeved black shirt with the red rocket logo on the chest to Mika's black thin strap dress with emerald green lines running up and down her sides. The dress itself, held tightly against her form to prevent snagging that could result in harm, had a semi large Rocket emblem on the lower right hand corner in an emerald shade. Under the dress, a pair of a black leggings that come down to her knees and a pair of knee-high black lace up metal-toed boots with red Rs engraved into the soles of said boots. Over it all, she had on a black ankle-length hooded leather trenchcoat with the giant green letter R on the back. To protect her hands, the black fingerless gloves on her hands are metal plated on the back, with an R embossed into each of them and around her neck was the signature crystal key with a crystallized pokeball in the center. All in all, it was a sight to behold. It was obvious how high her rank was, it was obvious how much power she commanded. With her hair in a ponytail and two small emerald earrings in her ears and a powerful look in her eyes, it was clear, clear to all, just who exactly this girl was. Her eyes still staring up, she realized, suddenly, that she was staring and pulled the black cap down over her eyes, her cheeks as red as the emblem on her chest, "I-I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to s-s-stare!"

Laughing, Mika gently patted the girl, who was a good head shorter than her, on the head, ruffling her hair under her cap, "Calm down kiddo, it happens. Now, what's your message for me?"

"T-the master, he requests your presence. Your tr-train, it leaves soon…"

"Thank you um…"

"E-emily! My name is Emily!"

"Thank you Emily…" She laughed, taking the girl by the wrist, "Stop your worrying, I don't bite." She pulled her along til the blonde haired girl came willingly, a giddy smile on her face, "You'll make a fine member of Team Rocket, don't worry so, it's not good for the soul." Dropping her hand after a while, she smiled naturally and strangely warmly over at the girl, "Are you from around here?"

"N-no, I'm from Lavender Town…"

"I'm from Blackthorn, you're abit closer than me."

"Teehee… L-lady Emerald I-"

"Ems, don't call me that."

"B-but-"

"Call me Mika."

"Mika-one-sama?"

"…Gawh. You're just too cute…"

"T-teehee… Onee-sama, wh-why did you join Team Rocket?"

She sighed, her head tilting back, staring up at the sky as they wandered back out of Viridian City, towards the entrance to the base, "I didn't really have a choice in the matter, to be honest, but I guess… because they, in a way, let me be myself. My father, he never let me be myself." Chuckling, she shook her head, pulling her ID out from around her neck, "What about you?"

"I… It was my mother's wish, that I join the ranks of Team Rocket. She wanted me… she wanted me to…" The girl's eyes brimmed with tears and she smooshed her eyes into her gloved hands, trying not to look so…well, pathetic. "I-I'm sorry I-I…I'm sorry." She blubbered softly, trying hard to stop her tears.

Sighing heavily, Mika stopped and crossed infront of the other, placing a hand on either shoulder and, after staring at the pathetic site for a moment, gathered the girl into a hug, her hands slowly running through the girl's hair, soothingly whispering nothings into the top of her head, "It's alright love… your mother.. is gone, isn't she."

"Y-yes…"

"It's alright… It's alright… You can cry… It's alright…"

"N-no it's"

"Are you going to talk back to a superiour officer?" she smirked, teasingly threatening the child, "That's a naughty thing to do, you know?"

"I…"

"It's alright. To be human. To show emotion. At times like this. Outside of the battle field. Outside of the mission. If you don't, you'll die inside. And you'll become nothing. If you keep your emotions bottled up… you'll never advance in the ranks, understand little one?"

"Yes.. yes I understand…" Hiccuping, she lowered her hands and buried her nose in the other's shoulder, bawling her eyes out, snot coating the girl's shoulder.

"Good… That's it… That's it…" Sighing, she rocked the girl softly, humming a sorrowful lullaby, a minor key, an ancient little ditty but seemingly soothing as the girl soon stopped her crying and sighed, relaxing against the older girl's shoulder, hiccupping and sniffling as the last of her tears began to dry. "Better?" she pulled the girl away from her for a moment, worry in her eyes.

She smiled, brushing away her tears, "Y-yes ma'am."

"Good… let's go into the base, kay? It's just down the hill." On the outside, the base looked like your ordinary old man's cottage. Beneath it, however, was a base that stretched almost the entirety of Route 1. Coming up upon the the house, the duo encountered a small bit of silence before the younger girl broke the silence with a soft little timid voice, "Um… Um… Mika-nee-sama? Why… Why are you nice?"

"Eh?"

"The other executives… they aren't nice. Why are you so nice?"

"Compared to?"

"the other executives.. they yell at us… "

"You grunts?"

"Yeah. We're.. nothing to them. But you… you treat us with respect. You hold your authority but… but… yeah."

"I know… But it's just how I was raised. My brother… my brother taught me, he taught me form a young age to teach those beneath me or society couldn't function. So that's what I do."

"how old were you? When you came here, to the Rockets?"

"Five..maybe six… I had just started primary school."

"Do you… remember your mother and father?"

"Sometimes…sometimes I remember. "

"It… would hurt me. If I couldn't remember my parents."

"Heh… so it would…"

Sliding the card in the slot, the fireplace in the little hut gave way and the two girls were dropped via a shoot into the base. Waving, she ruffled the girl's hair one more time before stopping a good deal before the other, "come talk to me anytime, alright?"

Stepping off the elevated shoot thingy, she walked forward, down the red and black carpeted hall, towards the armed guards at the end, fixing her hair into place [so he wouldn't yell] before waving the guards off and pressing open the doors

_So it would… so it would…_

**ATTENTION GRUNT-ISTS. MY HAIR WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU THAT A HIGH LEVEL EXECUTIVE HAS ENTERED. PLEASE BEGIN THE KISS ASSING NOW.**

"Very funny Koji." She rolled her eyes, yanking the black haired boy down from his pedestal on top of the elegant marble topped oak wood desk, slamming the boy down to the ground, "I forgot to laugh. Sorry."

"Aw… but I like using PokeTube Parodies…" He rubbed his head lightly where Mika had slammed it into the wood, groaning softly, "And that hurt!" Standing, he brushed himself off, straightening out his tank top with the Giant Blue R on the back and his multi belted black Capri pants with their overflowing pockets of doom before snagging his trenchcoat, with a Blue R on the back, "You're a meanie, you know that?" Slipping the navy blue, or perhaps it was some other shade of dark blue that Koji just couldn't bother to look up unless he dug around in a box of crayons and read the names which would make it Sharpedo blue or something, hankerchief back on his head, he stuck his tounge out, "Meeeeean."

"Enough. Where's Father?" She crossed her arms, staring him down with quite the glare, "I was told he was calling for me?" Turning, she stared down at Koji's black with blue toed socks and scoffed, "Put shoes on, you know Father will yell if he sees you out of uniform…"

"Out. He'll be back soon." He squatted down, pouting playfully, "But I dun wanna wear the boots. They make my feet smell…"

"Do you honestly think I care? Put them on or Father will hurt you."

"Boooooooooo." He scowled over at Mika before flopping onto his ass and, like a small child, pulled his shoes on one by one, "But just because you won't let me forget it if I don't, I'll put them on… Sheeeeesh…. Don't have a miltank or something…"

"I don't plan on it."

"Argh. What's crawled up your butt and died?"

"I don't like it when he makes us wait. He summoned all of us, didn't he."

"Yup. You, me, and Raven."

"Joooy… That means he's got something cooked up his sleeves."

His face darkening, the cheery demeanor vanishing with it, he nodded, crossing his arms across his chest, his ice like eyes sparkling softly in the limelight of the dimly lit room, "Yeah… And it's not going to be fun, I'll tell ya that much.."

"…He's sending us out. Isn't he."

"More than likely."

"…Great. Just. Great."

"…he's not here yet…?" Both Koji and Mika turned towards the sound, an eyebrow raised for a moment at the new voice before both relaxed. Koji stepped to the side, mockingly bowing at the new figure's entrace, "Ah Raven, the dead of the party has arrived."

The raven haired boy, (perhaps this is where he got his name, no?) crossed his arms across the dark purple jumpsuit covering his body, letting his black cape with the signature R on the back cover around him, tapping the toe of his boot into the tile, listening to it clang due to the metal covering around it, "Koji, has anyone ever told you you're annoying?"

"Daily." He smirked, flipping backwards, holding himself up by an arm, obviously showing off, "They just won't let me forget it, you know?"

"Riddle me this then?" Raven glanced over Koji through what could only be considered a rotten look of sorts, his purple eyes flickering in the light, "If you hear it daily, why then aren't you following said advice?"

"…because I don't want to!"

"…and you wonder why-"

"Both of you, enough!" Mika grabbed both of the boys by the ear and slammed them together, knocking them both off balance but both managed to slip away before they combinded their skulls into one, "I can't believe you two, can't you stop bickering for just a moment? Please!"

"…Fine… At least Walter still loves me…" Pouting, he threw a brightly colored Love Ball into the air, "Walter, come on out!" In a flash of brilliant pink light, a skitty decended from above and landed on Koji's head, mewling happily as he pawed around his master's ears. Proud of himself, Koji crossed his arms across his chest, laughing like a maniac, "See? Walter loves me."

Raven smirked, putting his hands up to his ears in mock defeat, "Well, you know, Walter only loves you as much as he does because of Barbara."

The skitty's ears perked and he stared down at Raven, big pink eyes locked on the male from the moment the B-Word passed out of his lips.

"You lie Raven!"

"I think not."

"You lie! Walter loves meee!"

"Would he love you so much if you gave me Barbara?" Raven smirked, "Your Waillord. Its beloved woman."

"He wouldn't ca-YEOWCH." Koji squawked, bouncing back as the skitty mewled at him and dug his little claws into his master's cranium, "I wouldn't, I wouldn't! O Yeooooow… Let go! Let go!" Pulling up on the skitty in an attempt to get the stupid thing off his head and thus the claws out of his scalp but this didn't even work as the motions, which only made it dig its claws in _further, _just made the skitty angrier. As he blubbered around like a spinda, it became more and more apparent he wasn't going to be able to get the thing off his head on his own. Mika reached behind her dress to her poke-belt, snagged a blue ball and was about to throw it when a thunderous voice stopped everyone, including the skitty, in their tracks.

**SILENCE! STOP THIS FOOLISHNEES IMMEDIATELY! DO YOU FORGET WHO YOU ARE, NO, DO YOU FORGET **_**WHERE**_** YOU ARE!? ENOUGH! **

All three of the executives dropped to one knee after quickly forming a triangle formation with Mika slightly further ahead than Raven, on her left, and Koji, on her right [with a skitty still gnawing on his ear] and as the girl kicked herself for letting things get out of control, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the hall as the Master of the Rocket Empire took his seat. Sweat trickled down the back of her throat, her hand trembling slightly ands he couldn't help but flinch when he spoke, her shoulders tucking up almost to her ears.

"Now that you've all calmed down, stand up."

In as professional of a stance as they could, the trio stood, their gazes to the ground, all three looking nervous with Mika the only one physically trembling.

The master sighed, looking down at the trio with a look in his eyes before he reached out a hand to grasp a previously filled class of red win, a single silver ring on his second finger glistening in the dimly lit room, "Mysterica why do you tremble so? You're not in trouble… Look up at me."

Hesitantly, she lifted her eyes up to him, forcing the tremors to stop, "Y-yes Father…"

Spinning slightly to the left in his chair, he set the glass back down on the desk, "You know why I've called the three of you, yes?"

"You've got a mission for us, right sir?" Koji lifted his gaze testingly before snapping it back down, "Or something's about to happen. Y-you only call the three Gems when…"

"…something needs to happen. Correct." He stood, crossing around infront of his desk, clad in the normal black suit with a red tie underneath, "Mysterica, you haven't been sleeping well, have you?"

She blinked, her eyes widening as her head snapped up to look at him, her jaw dropped lightly, "H-how did you-"

"Kain keeps me informed about the condition of my adopted daughter." He smiled slightly before it faded and he leaned back against the desk, crossing his legs at the ankles, "Regardless, you're being plagued with dreams, am I correct?"

"Y-yes…"

"About the Eight Guardians of Lore?"

"Y-yes…"

"As I thought. This means, my three beloved gems, that you will be leaving to break the seals. Since the incident on the island Myseterica, when you released the first seal, the seals have begun to weaken. According to the scientists at the researches lab, the weakest seals as of right now are in Sinnoh but that's not the only reason I'm sending you there."

Raven straightened himself up, his eyes gazing piercingly into Giovanni's own, "It's Team Galaxy, isn't it."

"Correct. We've received, from the intelligence division, rumours that they've broken the Indigo Island Alliance Contract made after the incident at the Cave of Origins last year in Hoenn. This is not acceptable under any means and if they are found to be breaking the contract, they must be stopped. No one must know of our plan to break the seals until the time is right." His eyes lightened, a small chuckle breaking the momentary silence "But you already know this, don't you Raven."

"I am the acting head of the intelligence division sir."

"True true. Regardless, I've decided to send all three of you to Sinnoh but to different areas. Raven, you've already received your assignment, Koji, you'll-"

"ooo oo ooo! I get to do Contests, don't I!?" His eyes glistened, his body up on his toes in giddy anticipation, "And investigate that realm, right right right?"

Giovanni raised an eyebrow, slightly taken back by the boy's apparent…excitement. "Yes… how did you…?"

"Because Raven couldn't be showy if his life depended on it-"

"Hey!"

"Well it's true! And Mika is the best trainer of the tree of us-"

"Hey!"

"Sorry Raven, but you're just not that great with gym battles and well, that just leaves me for contests!" His voice lifted up towards the ceiling in a giddy little sing song as the male spun around the room, "Nothing, nothing, _**nothing**_ shall take me and my all-powerful team of Skitty and Wailord down! No prissy ten year old in some pink dress with a stupid piplup… hahaha…. Hahahahahhahaa!" His voice trailed off into a cackle as he pulled the bewildered skitty off his head and proceeded to dance around the room with it, "Walter! We'll be champions! Champions!"

Shaking his head, Giovanni looked towards the duo left standing and nodded, "Mysterica, you'll complete the gym leader challenge as planned, but… if you feel a calling from the seals…"

"Break them?"

"If you can do it safely, Kain says it puts strain on your body"

"Hnn"

"None of that. The three of you will be transported to Vermillion and from there, you will journey to Canalave via a ferry. From there, you will split and I believe you can figure the rest out yourself. Dismissed."

As the three walked out, Mika couldn't help but shake her head, a growing migraine budding inside it. Something about this was eating at her, something was not right about this mission. Then again, something wasn't right about most of her missions. All she knew for certain was that this defiantly wasn't going to end well, whatever the outcome. All she could hope for was that he, _him_ wouldn't find out.


	3. Boats, Vicious Monsters of the Deep

Chapter 3

There was nothing more Mika hated than ships. Surfing on Pokemon was fine and dandy, it was soothing, relaxing time she could spend with her dragons, it was the life. Ships however, were not natural creations. Not in the least. And when they were on water, they didn't offer the soothing smells and sounds of the ocean. No, they offered the smells and then some, like the acidic smell of the rocks being burned and other disgusting elements. Limping hanging over the edge of the ferry, she stared down at the water rushing by and tried not to lose her lunch.

She understood she couldn't just ride her dragons across the freakin ocean, that would cause suspicion they didn't need at the moment thus why she was dressed in a pair of slightly low rise dark wash blue jeans, a black tanktop and a pair of brown flip flops instead of her rocket uniform but honestly. A ferry? A freakin' boat? Why oh why couldn't they just have flown? It wasn't that much more expensive… was it? Groaning, she placed her cheek up against the cool metal of the observatory bar, pulling one of her two long tightly woven braids down to get it out of the way as she looked over at Koji who was watching, happily, as his Waillord floundered around in the water near the ferry, happily swimming in the sunlight. Rolling back so she was staring down at the waters, she thought over and over again how amazing it would be if she could just not ever be around water on a boat ever ever ever ever ever ever ever again. Boats were not fun. Not fun at all.

"You alright Mika?" Raven, his hair pulled in a lazy low ponytail, pried the girl back form the bar and handed her a bottle of water. Dressed similar to the other, except in a pair of lighter jeans and a dark purple t-shirt, he motioned for her to sip, "You still hate boats, don't you…"

Snatching the water, she took a greedy gulp, "Boats yes. Water no. Boats… Yes. Annoying blue haired idiots in tan cargo shorts and white t-shirts who run rampant around boats with giant whale pokemon and think-" she wrinkled her nose, mockingly raising her pitch about ten levels to an obnoxious nasely tone "Aren't Boats great? Barbara can swim and Walter can run! It's amazing! Boats are Amazing!" Returning to her normal tone, she took another swing, "No. I don't like them." Snorting, she finished off the glass and nearly chucked it at Koji when he bolted past again.

Laughing, Raven gently took the glass away from Mika and patted her shoulder, "I know, he's a hyper rattata isn't he."

"The worst…"

"Relax, the ferry'll pull in soon."

"It freakin' better."

Sighing, she laid back, closing her eyes for a moment, listening to the water and trying to ignore the nauseating smells. "Ugh…. This day... is not turning out to be the great start of a new journey in the magical world of Pokemon… Seriously… I object!" Slugging at the sky, she sat up, groaning lightly, "Alright. Time to move. Time to move…" Rubbing the bridge of her nose, all seemed ot be looking up but as I'm sure all of you know and understand, such things are never meant to last as the moment she managed to quell the queasy, a high pitched male voice shouted out from the observatory deck on the bow on the ship.

"Aaaaaaaaaah! Someone! Anyone! W-we need a strong Pokemon Trainer out here! The… The Goldeen! A-and the Seaking!! They're attacking! Aahhhh! Somebody, anybody, HELP!"

"God **damnit**!" Stomping her foot, she shook her head from side to side, "Why me? Why does my stupid gut have to say 'go help them Mika! They neeeed you' when all I want to do is lie here and die until the ship comes in?! ARGH." Pulling herself together, she darted towards the bow, mumbling something about punting pichus in the kidneys off the sides of cliffs under her breath as she entered the chaos, her demeanor transitioning into that of a serious minded trainer.

"Iiiiiit's GO TIME!" Koji decended form the top of the ship's bridge, falling in what seemed to be a body-slam move until the last second when he flipped once forward, landing perfectly on his feet. Pulling his hands back in a fighting pose, he smirked, "So, what's the problem?"

"If you'd use your eyes, you imbecil, you'd see the problem is the amount of goldeen and seaking using water attacks on the tourists." Raven stepped up calming beside Mika, an arm crossed across his middle, his right hadn lifted to his chin in a thoughtful sort of mannor, "And there are fearow coming out of nowhere to peck at people. Deduction, if you would?"

"They're being controlled by someone near by." Mika shoved a headband onto her head, tucking her braids firmly on her back, and narrowed her gaze, scanning the horizon, "So we'll take care of the three problems. Raven, you handle the birds, Koji, you take the fish and I'll find out who the hell is behind al of this."

"Rodger that."

"Yaaay! Waillord gets to eat fishies!"

"Break!" Dividing in three separate waves, Raven drew his right hand up and down to his belt, pulling out a pokeball and in the same fluid motion, flicked it towards the sky, "Soaren! To the skies!" With a sharp cry and a stream of sparkling light, a nearly pure gold Pidgeot emerged from the pokeball, wings flapping as he flew to face his foe. Beak twitching, the feathers pinned down, and he waited, his tail rigid and ready when the time came to deliver a death defying blow. It didn't matter he was up against a good fifty or so unhappy bird pokemon, he was Soaren. He could take 'em.

Smirking, Raven closed his eyes, "Soaren! Arial Ace!"

His wings stretched out, the bird flew higher, gaining altitude before, well, the bird simply vanished, having swooped down behind the other birds and with a sharp cry, tightened his wings and pushed forward, mauling several spearow in the process. Turning, he hovered over his master, his beak wiggling in delight. T'was fun to maul such little twerps. They couldn't dream of having his illusive shine or speed and power. Nope. Couldn't dream of it.

Meanwhile, while the fight in the sky had feathers flying and caws filing every available space of air, there was as intense of a fight brewing in the seas below. Barbara wasn't the type of Waillord who liked to fight. She deplored such things and only did so if Koji gave her a good reason. The fishies were trying to sink the boat thus hurting her Waltermuffin? Oh, that was PLENTY good reason. For you see, now the goldeen and the seaking had a very protective very flustered whale on their hands. A whale who's mate was in danger. Swimming up beside them, her white eyes narrowed as she snorted, steam blowing out her air hole in irritation. In a slow swoop, she opened her mouth, letting forth a mighty roar that shook the boat from side to side. Her fins pressed at the ready, it was all she could do to wait for a command. Luckily, Koji knew all too well his beloved whale and, after applying the traditional rocket underwater breathing apparatus, treaded water slightly about the giant mammal fish. While it was muffled by the breathing apparatus, he shoved a hand towards the goldeen, his eyes narrowing, "Go! Whirlpool! Trap them in an endless void of watery space!"

Her mouth opening, the Wailord roared again and spewed forth a change in the current so strong, it ensnared the now nervous fishies inside the now enclosed battle arena, preventing escape by any underwater means. Swimming to the side, Koji quickly ran through strategies in his head. As his wailord dodged, as best as a wailord can, the baray of horn and furry attacks, he continued to think until a passable idea struck him and he snapped his fingers before swimming to tread beside his pokemon, "Now! Use Water Pulse!" Nodding as only a Wailord can, thus knocking Koji a bit of the way behind her, Barbara opened her mouth as quickly as she could and in a second, spewed a swirl of watery mess, managing to confuse the bloody crap out of the goldeen which then caused them to start attacking the Seaking and occasionally Barbara. Smirking, Koji attached himself to Barbara's head, "Let them hurt eachother, we'll just wait and then deliver the fainting blow!"

But up on the deck, Mika had yet to move. Staring at a pokeball in her hand, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as she fought inwardly over what pokemon to use. Kuri was her fastest flyer…but as a Dragon/Ground dual type the water would be less than inviting. The twins were too tired from the journey to fight without bickering and Tari was too little to carry Mika's weight that far. Grasping the key around her neck, Mika closed her eyes and thought, the world around her coming to a halt for a moment as she tried to think of a plan. Tina was risky, it might inhibit her ability to function safely… but Tina was the strongest she had. If she…no. No it was too risky. Too soon to be so risky. Dropping the key, her eyes snapped open and extending her hand into the air, she threw up into the sunlight an ultra ball, snapping her fingers as she did so, "Kuri! Come forth!"

Lowering her hand, she closed her eyes, the rush of wind blowing her hair back as the massive green and brown dragon slowly uncoiled from the ruby red light, letting out a sharp cry as his wings began to extend and unfold, little sparkles falling around his mistress as he slowly, with a power behind the audible beating of his wings, descended, settling on her right side. Smiling, Mika gently lifted a hand, stroking over his nose for a moment before she leapt up onto his back, settling on him firmly, "To the source Kuri, where the Pokémon are coming from." The dragon nodded, his wings falling back before pressing down, creating a powerful lift underneath them. A second later, he had propelled himself up into the sky, spinning and rolling to avoid enemy bird pestilences as he flew, his mistress pinned on his back, her body down tight against the coolness of his scales as they grew higher and higher into the air. At long last, a small grey transport airship with a deck on the front came into sight. Sitting up, Mika pulled the majestic Pokémon up into the air, out of sight of the deck, and once she had a moment when there was no obvious activity down below, she returned the pokemon to it's ball and fell about twenty feet, landing softly on the tarp over the bridge. Blinking, she reached into her bag and pulled out a black mask and gently fit it over her eyes as well as replaced the fingerless gloves with black leather replicas, except of course that these had finger tip coverings.

Nibbling on her bottom lip, she slipped onto the deck and ducked behind a set of boxes, just as a patrol passed. Peaking out, she couldn't help an internal groan. The grey and black pants, the metal undershirt and the awkwardly fashioned black and white turtle sleeveless tunic with the bright yellow G, the bowel cut hairstyle that had already been banned by the psychologically stable, the maniacal laughter, without a doubt this was Team Galaxy. Pressing low to the ground, she tailed the duo, two men with bright blue hair that really should be shaved off or at least restyled or at least washed, until they reached the bridge. Quickly but silently slipping in just behind them, she attached herself to the rigging above, pulling herself along it. The airship wasn't finished and thus, it wasn't as difficult as she'd originally thought it to be. Smirking, she pulled herself into the bridge and into the duct system, crawling directly over the head of the commander in charge, a red haired girl whose hairstyle was that of a crokagunk's for some awkward reason and who was dressed in a pair of dark grey horizontally stripped black tights, white go-go boots, and a knee length hoop dress that was white to the breast line and dark grey with black stripes to the tips of her fingers. The yellow crest in the middle of the grey patterened mess was undeniable proof of who this was. Mars. Rocket didn't know much about her than what they'd seen on the TV propaganda [honestly, what criminal organization could sleep at night safely after pretty much telling the world, including the Global Police, where they fucking lived. Honestly. How fucking **STUPID** could they get?!] but what they did know was slightly disturbing. Sighing, she slipped to the ground and snuck down towards the engine room where, after placing the appropriate charges followed by a sneaky little flamethrower from her adorable little dratini, she fell, quite literraly from the sky, Kuri emerging from his ball on his own accord to catch his trainer and deliver her back to the ship's deck as, in the distance, there was a rather large explosion and the blimp, well, the blimp turned into a heap of burning metal and stuffs.

Landing back on the bridge, she returned the pokemon to their balls and let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her forehead with her right hand as the crowd began to form around her, cheering ridiculously too loud, "Gack… I don't like attention, I don't like it..." She grasped her right arm and sighed, blushing profusely, looking at the ground as everyone praised the three's amazing tactics. Raven simply snorted, prasiing himself and his ego, as he often did, and Koji just ate it up as well, rubbing his nose in light embarrassment, a giddy smile on his face. Soon, the sounds around the girl blurred into a massive mess and she pushed through the crowd, her head beginning to ache in a certain mannor that made her want to be alone, before it hit completely.

But she barely made it to the other side of the deck before the force of the headache nearly brought her to her knees. Letting out a sharp cry, she gripped her head tightly between her hands, tears springing to her tightly shut eyes, slipping out through the cracks. _No…No, not again… I don't want to-_

The world around the girl began to swirl, she barely noticed Koji running towards her, Raven hot on his heels, when she fell forward onto the deck, her hand slowly reaching out towards the ocean.

Everything went white.

_Sometimes I wonder if I'm still real_

_All of this, my entire reality_

_How do I know it's legit?_

_How do I know that I'm still alive?_

_Breathing…._

_In and Out…_

_In_

_And_

_Out_

_If I keep breathing…_

_I exist._

_In _

_Out_

_I am real_

_I am alive_

Suddenly, she wasn't falling anymore. Her body felt cold but she was breathing. In and Out. So she wasn't dead. Or at least she didn't think she was. Opening her eyes, the world was a rainbow of glowing colors on a black background, the light trickling from the sky. Looking down, the see-through crystal floor sparkled into a physical reality, white marble with light grey speckles. Slowly blinking, she looked towards what used to be the black sky ahead but had now turned into a rounded hall, crystal chandeliers hanging from the silver beams that connected the glass windows together under the clear, starry night. In the course of a single breath, people appeared, dressed all up in formal attire, dancing around and around the hall. Turning around, the girl, with a striken look on her face, began to recognize the world that was taking shape. Banners slowly materialized on the peach walls, banners with a black and red crest, the crest of the Dragon's Den. Shaking her head, she stepped backwards, somehow managing to not run into anyone, her hands cupping the sides of her head, inwardly begging to wake up when a gloved white hand pressed onto her shoulder, "Milady? Are you alright? You seem abit frightened…"

Turning, she took a step back form the hand, slightly startled by the motion, "I-I'm fine…."

The man, no one special in particular as he was without a face, bowed, laughing lightly, "Well I shall leave you in peace then milady, but may I say you look fantastic tonight?"

Blinking, she tilted her head, confused at first as to why he was looking at her the way he was. Following his gaze to her toes, she gasped, her eyes going wide. She wasn't in a jean and t-shirt anymore, not anything close to that. The sparkles on the soft blue fabric caught the girl's eye, amongst many other things, as she took herself in, raising a arm covered in the silk and satin, spinning around once, the full skirt billowing around her. It was a dark blue dress with a light blue lace and sequence outer skirt, the back scooping low, just above her diaphram, the sleeves a dark to light blue gradient as they petaled out around her wrist. Her shoulders bare, thin white straps held the dress to her frame, the elegant u-shaped neckline covered in pure white silk. Around her waist, a white bow whose ties trickled nearly to the ground, the back of the dress dragging ever so slightly on the wood behind her. Reaching up with her right hand to pat her hair, two silver rings glistened on her fingers, the sapphire and emeralds encrusted within them catching the light, an elegant spread of iridescent light sparkling overhead. Her hair was no longer simply down around her shoulders but elegantly twisted up into a fancy bun, tressels framing her face softly while the rest dangled behind. Reaching forward, she let out a soft cry as just the tips of her fingers grazed across cool crystal. A small blue crystal tiara. Her mother's. Looking up, her eyes widened further in a state of horror at her before-faceless speaker.

His crimson hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, a few strands dangling around his left cheek. His bright blue eyes sparkled, his smile and complextion flawless. He was dressed like a royal, in a white tunic over a pair of white dress pants, decorated with the family sash, a smaller crown on his own head. His gloved hand, the sleeves accented with blue cuffs, reached out before he simply bent his arm, offering it to the girl half his size, "Won't you give your brother a dance?"

Her crystal shoes clinked softly on the floor as she took his arm, bewildered and unsure of what to say and as he drew her into the center of the room, the people around dispersed, giving the crown prince and his beloved sister some room to breathe, let alone dance. A hush fell over the crowd, the lights seemed to dim until it was almost as though a spotlight was shining just on them. The orchestra paused for just the briefest of moments before it began to play once more, a sorrowful waltz slowly filling the hall.

_1, 2, 3, _

_1, 2, 3._

Over and over they turned, the only sound besides that of the orchestra being the occasional squeaking of their feet. _1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3,_ over and over it echoed, her mind racing as she stared up at his smiling face, her gaze growing sadder and sadder with every passing moment. She glanced over his shoulder, to the thrones, where seated happily were her parents, her father dressed in a red version of his son, her mother in a beautiful navy dress, their hands clasped together tightly, smiling so fondly at their children.

_1, 2, 3, _

_1, 2, 3._

The ballroom still existed, the people around undivided. Everyone was happy, everything was peaceful. She was so caught up in everything she didn't notice her father replace her brother, his large red hand slipping around her tiny pale one, his strong arm around her waist, his warm gaze, his gentle smile, focused down on her as he spoke, his voice soothing, "My turn, my beautiful Mysterica is not always for sharing."

_1, 2, 3, _

_1, 2, 3._

Swallowing hard, she followed his movements, tears slowly beginning to form in her eyes. All of this, this perfect reality, this loving family. Her mother dancing with her brother, laughing softly at a joke he'd made, the world of the clan at peace. It was, it was, it was-

_All I ever wanted…_ Tears pooling over, she looked down, unable to keep her father's now concerned gaze, _This.. this is what I dreamt of, so many times… but this… this isn't real._ Trembling, she began to stumble and as one stumble turned into a fall, she fell against her father's arm and outside the window behind her, the stars began to fade. _This isn't real._

"Mysterica?! My beloved child, what's wrong?" He gathered her up into his arms, holding her close, trying to soothe the child whose head lay so tightly under his chin, his strong warm hand patting her hair, "Tell your father, he'll make it right…"

"Mysterica!" He ran over, her beloved onii-sama, worry on his face as well as that of her mother's, her steps close behind those of her son, "Are you alright? You fell!"

"Lance, perhaps she's too exausted for all this, why don't we take her back home?" Clair reached out, her cool hand stroking her daughter's cheek, worry clear in her eyes, "Rei will stay with me, you needn't worry."

He nodded firmly, kissing his daughter's forehead, "Yes, my good boy, you'll stay with your mother, yes?"

"Of course Father."

"Thank you my son… I'll take her home, would you fetch her coat Clair?"

Steps moved away, her hand tightened the fabric of her father's tunic in her hands, tears boiling over. So many nights, so many nights she'd dreamt of this but she knew now this was only a dream. Her father and Rei wouldn't get along, her mother would not touch her with such compassion nor say the things she had… this wasn't real, it wasn't real.

_1, 2, 3, _

_1, 2, 3._

_1, 2, 3, _

_1, 2, 3._

It started to rain.


End file.
